A Unique Tiny Home Built From SIP Panels

More and more people are choosing to live frugally, which is why the tiny house movement has grown considerably in recent years. Tiny homes are affordable to build and maintain, highly sustainable, can often be designed and constructed by the owners themselves and, if mounted on a trailer, can literally be moved anywhere across the country. Something like that went through Art’s mind as he designed and built his tiny SIP (structurally insulated panels) Tumbleweed Walden Tiny House.

According to Art, building with SIP panels was easy. After he finalized the designs for the house, he then ordered the SIP panels, which were cut to the correct size by the manufacturer. After that, he enlisted the help of a few friends, who put together the basic structure of the house using construction adhesive and a screw gun. Using SIP panels in this way also makes it possible for a person with little or no technical knowledge of framing a house to build a structurally sound and well-insulated house in a manner of days, which is the main reason why Art opted for this method. Using SIP panels to form the basic structure of the home produces a shell that is already fully insulated and all that remains is to finish them in any way you want to. Art opted for wood, and his tiny house is covered primarily with reclaimed and repurposed wood.

The outside is lined with 100-year-old cypress wood reclaimed in the Louisiana area. Furthermore, a lot of the trim and structural supports for the house are made of antique pine, removed and repurposed from local barns and other disused buildings. The interior is mostly clad in fresh and locally milled tongue and groove cypress. The antique pine flooring was also salvaged locally.

The tiny home features an 11-foot ceiling, which give it a very spacious feeling. The kitchen measures 6 feet by 4 feet and is equipped with a stainless steel countertop with a built in sink. The kitchen also features marine style appliances, including a small refrigerator that doubles as a cutting board. The bathroom is also fully equipped and is separated from the rest of the house by a custom-made Japanese style paper door. It is fitted with a full size 30 inch shower made out of fiberglass, and a Nature’s Head composting toilet with a vent.

For space maximization purposes the bedroom is located in a lofted area, which sits atop the bathroom and kitchen. The rest of the space is taken up by the living area, with a table and a sofa, which also doubles as a guest bed and storage area.

20′ x 40′ is a small house, no longer tiny, at 800 square feet. I grew up in a house my father built which was 30′ x 32′ 960 square feet which boasted 3 bedrooms, a bathroom with full bath, a kitchen and a living room for a family of five.